The security workers who guard OpenAI and Anthropic could go on strike
Executive Take
AI firms now depend on the same guards they treat as outsourced labor. A walkout would expose how little leverage they've actually negotiated over their own physical security.
Executive Summary
Unionized security guards at OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce, and Google, represented by SEIU-USWW, authorized a strike after 19 bargaining sessions with contractor Allied Universal stalled. The union wants a $30 minimum wage and better benefits. Allied Universal reportedly offered a 25-cent raise in 2027 with none before then. Anthropic told staff to work from home last week over strike fears.
Why It Matters
HR and security leaders at AI companies should care because guard shortages hit right as executive threats rise and offices may face real safety gaps. This also tests how AI firms handle contractor labor disputes versus their public values messaging.
Bizquad Perspective
Most leaders see this as a vendor labor dispute, but it's actually a stress test of whether AI firms' safety plans survive a contractor walkout they don't fully control.